Thanksgiving: Something to be grateful for!

One of my favorite quotes from Eckhart Tolle reads, “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” This past year I have been working hard to just be happy in the right here and now. I have spent so much of my life trying to run faster, jump higher, and go after More! More! More! My efforts to practice gratitude for all the good that I already have has resulted in a flood of positive energy.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to take that energy to give back to the community and others in need. I’m hoping we can all find joy in the mundane and spread love in ways both big and small.

These are a few of the everyday things I’m grateful for in the world of design:

10 Design Things I’m grateful for

1. Greenery.  You’ll never see one of our projects without it. Greenery just brings life to space and makes everything feel fresh.

2. Natural Light. There is nothing that perfectly mimics the pretty softness of natural light.

3. Timeless Materials. Unlacquered brass, white oak, honed marble, polished nickel, and a good white paint. If you want to put me in a good mood, just start talking about these things!

4. Install Days. We frantically run around in a balancing act that we’ve been prepping sometimes years for, but here’s a little a secret — it’s always the best day seeing your work come to fruition and every design come to life all while making your client happy!

5. Antiques. It’s so satisfying to mix in vintage pieces. I love everything about them — from the hunt to the score and then finding the perfect moment for it in a home.

6. Makers. I’m always grateful craftsmanship is never lost. I love working and collaborating with everyone from carpenters to old world potters and weavers. You can always see their talented hand the pieces they create.

7. Outside Inspiration. I don’t mean pinterest or instagram. I’m talking about gathering a color palette from nature, walking around an art gallery, and strolling through architecture—old or new—and feeling rejuvenated. I’m grateful for those moments of clarity and inspiration.

8. Happy Accidents. There have been a few times where because of circumstance, design boards and ordering changed and the end result was even better than what we originally planned. Sometimes, the best vignettes come together the day of. These happy accidents always come after preparation, but with serendipity. One moment was the kitchen in our Winter catalogue. The lanterns weren’t originally specked. We ordered them for another part of the home and were taken back by their size and grandness, that we moved them to the kitchen and never looked back.

9. A Good Team. My team makes going to work that much easier and enjoyable. If I’m going to spend half my life with people, I’m so glad I’m surrounded by GOOD people.

10. Everyone to share it with. This is one of the most rewarding things in design that I was completely blindsided by. From early on, I’ve always been beyond grateful for every person that took a moment to check in with what I was working on and designing and invested time into us, whether that was reading the blog or just liking a photo on IG. Every day, I’m grateful for the support. I’m also grateful to all of our supporters of McGee & Co. Thank you for letting us grow and giving us more opportunities to innovate and create more in return.